swag bunting DIY - part one

Want to make your own swag bunting?  It is easier than you think.  Ready, OK.  I was dreaming about gorgeous swag bunting last week on my pretend super awesome porch. I remembered that I just ordered some grey and white awning stripe fabric. It’s Two by Two by Michael Miller and I had found it while searching for the red and white carnival/circus theme fabrics for Ms. Emily. I thought I would make small buntings on a garland. Of course, I am obsessed with fabric way more than my obsession with paper, because fabric has so many more options, and it is soft and will NOT give me a paper cut. I choose to make this swag from fabric.


What do I need?

~one yard of your fave fabric
~iron on interfacing
~rotary cutters, straight edge and pinking
~cutting board
~bias tape

~needle and thread

Take your washed and ironed fabric and lay it out on a cutting board. I folded it in half for easier cutting. Cut 6” strips with straight edge rotary cutter. I followed the stripes line so that it would line up later on.

Place one strip, right side down on your ironing board. Cut interfacing into 6” by 36” sized strips.

Following the directions on the interfacing, place the rough side down on top of fabric strip. Iron, let cool, and remove the paper backing. Place your second fabric strip on top, wrong side down, lining up the edges (and stripes/patterns if necessary,) and iron. Now you have one stiffened strip of fabric. Perfect.

Place fabric strip on cutting board and trim both short ends with straight edge rotary cutter. Trim both long edges with the pinking edge rotary cutter.

Now fold, starting at one short end about ½ to ¾, in accordion style, down the entire length of the fabric strip. Press hard, you want crisp fold line.

It takes a while, a long while...

YAY! Now take thread a needle and stitch close to the top edge of the fabric strip, about in the middle of each fold. NOTE: at the first stitch and last stitch, make sure to make needle entry point very close to fold line.

Once you are through the entire strip, pull (gathering fabric) and stitch closed.

It should now look like a swag shape.

Take your bias tape and attach it to the top edges of the swag. The swag edges will be inside, with the bias tape on the outside.

Pin (or clothespin, sorry I got lazy) it in place. Sew a straight stitch along the length of the bias tape where the swag is attached.

Make one, three, five or as many as you like. There are a ton of options. To make them smaller, cut the width of the strip thinner and the length of the strip shorter.

The possibilities are endless. Part two of this will show an accordion star and variations on the swag design. 

Wood Garland

As I am working on a DIY for awesome fabric swag bunting, I saw this baby last week. WOOD-ent you love this in a shower?  KNOT for the traditional party, it's that little something extra awesome that'll make your guests do a double take.  You can have anything you WOOD want it to say printed on them. When I SAW this I went nuts.  Ha! Ha! I will stop with the wood puns, sorry, I couldn't help myself. Go check out this sweetheart on Etsy, custom wooden bunting at blissinateacup.

Happy 4th of July Weekend! red, white and blue bunting edition

Hello there. Are you as excited for this weekend as I am? The boys are finally big enough to enjoy decorating for holidays and I really want to make it AWESOME. I am definately going to make these yummy strawberries from Grin and Bake It! I was tempted again and again by these babies on Twitter via RT @superburbs, @theknottybride, @pizzazzerie, & @dognbird. So tempted they made my mouth water. In fact, those bad boys pushed me over the decorate/not decorate line. We don’t get to have fireworks (hmmmm…desert + fire…not so good.) but I was hoping to get my red, white and blue going on. I am not one for Americana novelty printed fabrics and paperie. I do need to swing by Michaels and nab some of the big, bold scalloped flag bunting. You know the ones that are always shown hanging on those luscious front porches in the south. Yeah, those ones. And while we're at it, lets throw in the porch, too.

Here are some lovelies I found on Etsy. If you play your cards right, you can use these all summer long because I chose items that don't literally say "Happy July 4th!" But look at these, you know they're thinking it...

I heart metal and lately I have been loving painted metal. Here are some little white stars, and I am loving the curly-cue metal ribbon. I can see this in so many other holiday decors, too. Especially one that I will not name because it is JULY people. But a side note, the boys both insisted on wearing their Santa jammies last night. Hilarious! I would aso totally use these in the boys' cowboy room. A nursey, so darn cute! Metal star garland by riricreations.

Pinwheels are my newest obsession. It all started with that Kate Spade campaign. The chainlink fence video - ADORE!!! So naturally I had to find DIY's for making my own, because so rarely do you find the perfect colors for your party. Let me tell you, there's lots of cutting involved. While my craft folder sits that much fatter, check out this garland - premade lovelies. Absolutley gorgeous! Kuddos OrdinaryMommy for this lovely Summer Holiday Pinwheel Garland.

This lovely flag garland is perfect for the fourth, or fifth or eleventh with some nautical partyware. I think they would be lovely hanging from branches of a tree above your picnic blanket on the nice soft grass...ahhhhh. A girl can dream. LOVE THEM! Americana Red White and Blue Pennants by pamwares.

I just love this headband. I would totally rock it out to a picnic with my fave red anthro dress. I might even wear it as a necklace. Eco Friendly NAUTICAL Headband by ZinniaSnipSnap.

As for what I will use this weekend...I have one of these for the shop, and one for me.

Giveaway on ilovelolliblog

Yep - you see it right! Our first EVER giveaway hosted by the lovely Lolliladies of Lollipop Events & Design.  I feel honored to be able to have a giveaway on such an AWESOME & GORGEOUS blog. 

There's only a few hours left so go see us quick! Who doesn't need free party decorations?  I am loving how everyone will use them!!!

HANK + HUNT ON PAPERNSTITCH!!!!

I am super excited to be in this month's papernstitch exhibition.  Please go check me out! It's exciting to be along side all these other great artists.  So check them out too!   LOVE!  I think I need this minigoals chalkboard by Mary Kate McDevitt and this awesome bunny poster by Debbie Carlos. So darn cute!

Both of these lovelies have been cruisin' the blogosphere for awhile now, and how I love them. I should take this as a sign that I HAVE to have them...

i heart yellow

 I have been noticing yellow everywhere lately, since Hunter has declared it as his favorite color. We even found him some yellow converse sneakers the other day.  Are they not the cutest?

So today it’s all about yellow.

I saw this wedding over at Southern Weddings and I am loving the cowboy boots and the dobby cotton yellow dresses. Did I say loving. Must admit, rather obsessed.

While searching for the world’s cutest yellow garland, I came across this lovely. I envy anyone who can crochet. And...you could hang it if you wanted. Double-bonus. I think they would be just lovely with a strapless gauzy sundress.  So  pretty.  Petite leaves neck garland by kanokwalee on Etsy.

Kate Greiner has the most adorable paper garlands. I just want all of them in her shop. Yes, every single one.  Then I could sort them by color in a box and I’d be set for anything. Wait…lightbulb…what an awesome idea for a present. Box O’ Garland. Ms. Ang and Ms. Bina close your eyes and remember to act surprised!

Mostly yellow sewn paper circus flag garland decoration by Kate Greiner on Etsy.

I love tissue paper decorations almost as much as I love fabric. I have my own stockpile of Martha poms, handmade pom dahlias, arcade style garlands, and some big pink hanging lanterns. What's great about these is once you fluff them up, you can store them in the attic and use them again, instantly.  I am loving the colors of these perfectly light Summer Love Poms by MySillyBear on papernstich.

This banner, which can be customized in any…well...er, anyway you’d like or think of, is adorable. There’s a reason they’ve sold a ton of them. I think I want one in my favorite quote "Never Settle."  Just Married Banner in Sunshine by Earmark on Etsy.

I get a kick out of this girl’s blog, super cute Tuesdays! YAY! And what party is complete without a cupcake. Okay, this one’s great for one too many lemon drops at the party, or for melting away the weeks stresses before. Either way...yummy, and better for my waistline. Cupcake bath fizzie in lemongrass by yourdirtylaundry on Etsy.

Ms. Emily's Wedding

Ms. Emily (of the Pickled Tink store in Reno) is getting married in September and I get to do the garlands! YAY!   I am super excited. See the super cute happy couple above! Yes, they are that cute in real life! Ms. Kelli France of France Photography did their engagement shoot and is photographing the wedding. LOVE! 

This post is just the beginning of a series.  I thought it would be helpful to show you the process that I go through for a wedding package.  As with any of my garlands, you get to customize them any way you like.  Ms. Emilys wedding is a circus theme, with accents of red and aqua.  LOVE!  She really liked the red and white stripes I had on another garland, so I found some more.  I also picked up a thicker stripe that reminds me of awnings and popcorn stands. 

Each new fabric always needs a trial.  Sometimes, as pretty as the pattern may be, once gathered in the garland, it's a miss.  Either the pattern doesn't look quite right ruffled or the fabric is too stiff to be sewn properly.  For this, I got a yard of each to make our samples. 

Into the wash they went, to remove all that stabilizer gunk and to get softened up.  I always use fragrance free Method detergent and dryer sheets.  Method has plant derived sheets, which makes me wonder what is in those other ones??? Anyhoo, once washed, dried , ironed and cut into strips, I am going to make a couple of shorties.  Little fabric garlands about a foot long.  For my wedding samples, I always put ties on the ends so they can actually be used.  No sense in wasting them right?  Sky's the limit...chandelier decor for a dinner party, baby's first birthday highchair decor? Weddings do often lead to other little people...just sayin'...

The next post in the series will be a DIY on how to make my garlands. Yes, for all your crafty ladies out there, you don't have to figure it out, I already know and I will share!